New Year, New Me?: Here’s Why New Year’s Resolutions Suck

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Ah, New Year’s. A time for new beginnings, midnight kisses, random gunshots at one in the morning. Gotta love it! However, there is one thing about New Year’s I really cannot help but despise- New Year’s resolutions.

Ugh, these are the worst! It’s almost as if everyone farts around eleven months of the year and suddenly they all become aware at the same time (most often 11:59 PM, December 31st) that they wasted yet a whole ‘nother year- wait, that’s exactly what happens!

Everyone has that one “basic” friend that lives by the saying “New year, new me!” whenever New Year’s rolls around. Nobody really likes that friend. So, to avoid becoming that friend, there is one simple truth everyone should know: New Year’s resolutions SUCK!

That’s right- they S-U-C-K! All they are are just trendy, artificial hopes for the new year. If you ask me, that is a terrible way to kick off a brand new twelve months of living. Why should we have to wait for January 1st to set goals for ourselves?

A crucial part of human life is progression. Believe it or not, everyone was once a wee baby but most wee babies grow up to be adults one day- the rest still live in their parent’s basement and whine about life with their online friends. Anyway, humans naturally progress through life. However, it’s all up to the individual if they want to just progress in life or actually live each day to the fullest.

Here is where real goal setting comes into play. A quick definition, real goal setting (verb): the act of setting goals for oneself and intending to achieve those goals through an actual plan. Sounds pretty easy, right? It is!

The secret to goal setting is setting goals for oneself that are actually achievable. Do not come up with one of those resolutions like “I’ll lose ten pounds a day this year!” First off, that is insanely unhealthy and by the fifteenth day, what will be left of you?

No, these silly declarations are what I like to call “good-for-nothing resolutions.” A goal, however, is completely different. Instead of pushing yourself to crazy extremes, try a more attainable goal like, “I will lose ten pounds in a couple of months but still eat a considerable amount of cake!”

Is that not better? Setting goals is all about living the best life one can. In the simply divine movie Dead Poets Society, the beloved college professor John Keating (played by equally as beloved Robin Williams) wisely states, “Oh Captain, my Captain! No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. Seize the day. Carpe diem.”

Let me backtrack a li’l- “Carpe diem” is a latin phrase that translates to “Seize the day.” Isn’t that a beautiful statement? It can be used in bold situations, like standing up to a bully teacher (maybe not all the time) or in seemingly small situations, like trying a bite of your friend’s foreign food. The beauty of carpe diem is that it can be used whenever, wherever.

So here’s my proposition: Let us have more carpe diems (or goals to seize the day!) and less resolutions. I know resolutions sound positive, like someone is resolving to do something. But carpe diem sounds so much more… eloquent! What if instead of annual resolutions, we had more daily carpe diems? Think of how different life would be, heck think of how different the world would be if everybody declared daily to get out of their comfort zone?

Daily carpe diems do not have to be huge things. For example, my carpe diem of the day was to finally write this article. Guess what- I love it! Daily accomplishments add fulfilment to each and every precious day, and you would be surprised how many people need a daily pick-me-up.

So, let’s all get together to make daily carpe diems a thing and get rid of those silly resolutions. Life is all about setting positive goals (daily or long-term) that can be achieved! I’ll make this promise: if you aspire to become your very best self through goal setting and real-life planning, nothing is capable of holding you back from those goals! So go get ‘em!Oli